Shakespeare and Colonialism

            Throughout history the group with the most power and largest audience has been able to justify the colonization of people deemed less civilized with the use of rhetoric, imagery, and other forms of media. The natives to a certain area are portrayed as primitive compared to the group with the secret agenda to obtain more land, subjects, and/or resources. Excuses such as educating or taming the savage natives are used to justify the colonization, (hostile takeover), of these people.

            Throughout The Tempest Shakespeare describes a situation in which he makes you feel sad for how Caliban was tricked and enslaved (colonized) while also feeling that Prospero's actions are justified because he taught the unsophisticated native how to speak and educated him in advanced methods of survival. Shakespeare describes many situations to support Caliban's case as undeserving of his current treatment. For example, Caliban speaks of how he "showed [Prospero] all the qualities o' th' isle, the fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile" (Shakespeare 42). Shakespeare then validates Prospero's actions towards Caliban by Miranda's explanation that she "pitied [Caliban], took pains to make [Caliban] speak, taught [Caliban] each hour one thing or another" (Shakespeare 45). Overall Shakespeare seems to side with Caliban when he shows Prospero's harsh treatment of Caliban. For example, when Caliban tries to resist his servitude to Prospero, Prospero threatens to "[Caliban] shalt have cramps, side stitches that shall pen thy breath up" (Shakespeare 42). Hollywood on the other hand felt no shame for giving false and undesired stereotypes to ethnic groups such as the Native Americans. In the cultural studies article Great Britain is described as "the chief imperialist power of the nineteenth century, dominat[ing] her colonies, and then give up her their countries' raw materials..." (Ashcroft 236). The institution of slavery became acceptable and justified.